


Wherever is Your Heart

by thosesilentsentinels



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Older Woman/Younger Woman, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-02
Updated: 2017-02-24
Packaged: 2018-09-14 08:14:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 14,189
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9170329
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thosesilentsentinels/pseuds/thosesilentsentinels
Summary: AU, starts mid-season 1, and then moves into its own timeline.After a fateful coffee spill, Kara realizes she might have feelings for her boss. With the help of Alex, Winn, and James, she devises a plan to leave Catco in order to pursue a (potential) future with Cat Grant.





	1. The Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> [EDIT: On hiatus while I get my life together. I'm still writing though, and will begin updating again in a couple of weeks!]
> 
> Hello! I started this before Season 2 aired, and decided to continue even though Supercat isn't in high demand right now. I hope you like it, comments and feedback are always appreciated!! (I don't have a beta right now, so all mistakes are mine - apologies in advance.) 
> 
> Edit: You can check out my tumblr for periodic updates if you'd like! New chapters should be coming about once a week. Silentsentinels.tumblr.com 
> 
> I don't own Kara, Cat, or any of the Supergirl characters.

The Noonan’s latte wobbled precariously in its tray as Kara flew up the stairs. A small bubble of foam splashed through the mouthpiece of the lid, pooling along the rim before dripping onto Kara’s hand. Taking the steps four at a time, she thrust the tray further away from her body because if she had to dry clean any more blouses this week she’d need to ask for a raise. Maybe she could get the new layout guy to pay for it. After all, it was his fault that she’s now careening up twenty flights of service stairs to Catco’s bullpen. The damn elevator was stuck on the fifth floor because he’d tried to fit six industrial copiers in it, stalling the machine during the company’s busiest hour.

Cresting over the last flight, she touched down carefully. Running a hand through her hair, she pulls open the door and walks quickly through the chaos of the front hall towards Ms. Grant’s personal elevator. The rest of the floor stands at command, tensed and anxious for the boss’ arrival. Listening closely, Kara can hear Ms. Grant’s voice rising in the elevator before a forceful “Just fix it!” (Even without super hearing, Kara would bet money that Cat’s voice rang through the bullpen). She trots over to the left side of the steel doors just as the elevator dings and the doors slide open to reveal Cat Grant in all her glory, pissed off and out for blood.

As soon as she stepped through the doors, Ms. Grant was striding through the room to her office, not waiting for her assistant to spring into action behind her. As they walked, she barked out a bevy of orders.

“Who broke the elevators? Fix it. And fire them. Call Dirk, tell him that no, I do not want that board meeting moved up to tomorrow. We agreed on last Tuesday for a reason. I will not be the next excuse for him to miss his son’s tap concert. Tell him, explicitly, that it’s _his_ turn to take the blame for his unending absences. It’s not my fault that he has a problem with his son dancing. After all, I _never_ miss Carter’s presentations.” As she rounded the corner of her desk, Ms. Grant held out her hand, snapping her fingers.

“Keira!” Kara’s head jerked up to look at her boss.

“Coffee. Now!”

“Of course Ms Grant, I’m sorry, here it – ”

As she took a step forward, latte in her outstretched hand, the toe of her loafer snagged on the carpet. She saw Cat’s eyes widen as she started to fall, and dammit she tried to keep a hold of the coffee, but it was either brace herself on Cat’s desk or hit it head on. The coffee fell from her hand, smacking Cat in the center of her light grey, Prada sweater. Kara managed to catch herself on her desk before it caught her chin, and breathing a sigh of relief, she pushed herself back up carefully. As she stood, her eyes panned up her boss’ body, taking in the splashy brown stain of coffee and steamed milk dripping down the rich silk fabric.

Cat, meanwhile, hadn’t moved a muscle. No one on the floor had.

Kara stood up, worried hands clasped in front of her, her brow creased in a mixture of fear and worry.

“Ms. Grant, I am so sorry,” Kara quickly slid her phone out of her back pocket and started typing rapidly.

“I – I’m, I’m texting your driver, he’ll bring you a new shirt. I’ve got a spare in my desk that you can wear until then, it won’t fit perfectly, but it’ll be clean, and not covered in – I’ll run and get it right now, I’m so sorry…”

Kara trailed off, suddenly becoming aware that Cat had yet to say a word. She glanced up at her boss’ face, and froze. Cat’s eyes were closed, her jaw was clenched, and her hands were pressed flat against her thighs. Her breath came in deep, measured breaths in and out through her nose. A tense silence stretched between them.

“Ms. Grant…”

“Kelly.” Cat’s voice, though light and chipper, had a deadly edge to it. “You will fix this. And if, for some reason, I don’t look flawless by my 8:20 with Vanity Fair….” She paused, taking another deep breath through her nose. “Then you may show yourself out. That’s all.”   

Giving a curt nod and fighting back the urge to cry, Kara backed away from the desk, then turned on her heel and fled the office, closing the door behind her. As soon as she entered the bullpen, everyone bent hurriedly down to their desks, suddenly becoming very interested in sorting through the stacks of clippings and notes on their desks. Winn shot her a small smile as she rounded the corner of her desk before ducking his head down and studying his keyboard.

Kara threw open the bottom drawer of her file cabinet and pulled out a white collared shirt with think baby pink pinstripes. She checked the sizing. Medium. It would have to do for now. Kicking the drawer closed, she glanced at her phone. The driver was heading back from Ms. Grant’s house now and would be at Catco in five minutes. He’d sent a photo of the blouse the maid had given him. Kara was relieved to see that it was another collared shirt much like the one Ms. Grant had worn today, except in navy. It would go just fine with her outfit. Kara walked quickly around her desk with her extra shirt and pushed open the door to Ms. Grant’s office.  

“Ms. Grant, here’s a temporary shirt if you’d like. Another one of yours will be here in five minutes.”

Cat was standing with her back to the bullpen, facing the wall of screens behind her desk. Kara would’ve given anything to know what Cat was thinking. Was she going to be fired anyway? She glanced quickly at her watch; she had ten minutes to get Cat into her new shirt and prepped for Vanity Fair. She walked up to the desk and gently placed the shirt down on top of Cat’s laptop.

“It’s going to be a little big on you, but it’ll work until yours arrives.” Kara stepped back and paused, unsure of what to do. A long silence stretched between them.

“Kelly.” Cat’s voice was still soft, but the venomous edge she’d wielded earlier was gone.

“Vanity Fair.”

Kara let out her breath, nearly grinning with relief. She wasn’t fired yet! That was good. She took a moment to collect herself again before launching into her prep spiel (written and memorized the night before), giving details on the intention of the article, topics the interviewer was likely to cover, and credentials of the interviewer herself. When Cat learned that the woman graduated from her alma mater, Wellesley College, Kara could have sworn her boss cracked a smile.

As Kara talked, Cat reached down to the desk and took hold of Kara’s shirt. She motioned for Kara to walk over to the bathroom adjoining her office. She disappeared into the rest room with only the words “Keep talking.” Through the door, Kara could hear the water turn on, then off, and the rustling of fabric.

Cat emerged in Kara’s shirt, the stained one draped over the lip of the sink, soap rubbed into the stained patches.

“This will do, Keira,” Cat said, waving a hand idly at her new shirt. “Get me water.”

Kara quickly grabbed the half full glass on the sideboard and placed it in Cat’s outstretched hand.

Stepping back, she took in the sight before her. There was Cat Grant, Queen of the Media, wearing Kara’s favorite Banana Republic shirt.

The top looked beautiful on Cat. The shoulders were just a hair too broad, sitting partially off Cat’s shoulders, but with a certain elegance that Kara could only dream of achieving in her place. The sleeves, decidedly too long, were rolled up her forearms and neatly cuffed at the elbow, showing off the oversized silver bracelets sitting on her wrists. The stiff collar sat lightly against her collarbones, and the neckline plunged down to just above the swell of Cat’s chest. Enough skin was shown that Kara’s eyes lingered a half second longer than they should have, but not enough to be called risqué or inappropriate. A thin, dangling necklace sat in her cleavage, drawing her eye towards the bare skin. Kara sighed. Cat looked nothing short of stunning.

Cat sighed, turning back to her desk saying over her shoulder, “You’re gawking. It’s not like I have any alternatives.” Her voice sounded friendly, even approaching playful. In the world of Cat Grant, this momentary candor was nothing short of a thank you. It startled Kara out of her reverie. She had to blink to pull her gaze away from her boss, shifting them hastily to the floor, before looking back up to the other woman’s retreating form.

If she were a betting woman, Kara would’ve bet a whole month’s worth of pot stickers that Cat was purposefully walking with more of a sway to her hips as the older woman rounded her desk.

“That’s all, Keira,” Cat said as she unlocked her phone, finger swiping in a complicated, (and Kara thought, mesmerizing) pattern over the screen.

Just then, Winn knocked on the door, holding Cat’s navy shirt in his right hand. Cat glanced up, taking in the new shirt, and then dismissed Winn with a loose wave of her hand.

“Um, Ms. Grant?” Kara asked.

Kara began heading back towards the doors, and Winn, who still stood on the other side. She cringed inwardly, knowing that this brief respite from Cat’s temper was about to be over.

In her best Ever Helpful Assistant voice, she asked, “Are you sure you wouldn’t like your shirt? You still have eight minutes before the interview…”

“I have a shirt,” the woman replied, not taking her eyes off of her phone as her finger scrolled across the screen. She looked up at Kara and Winn, standing on either side of the door. Setting her face in the most Ice Queen glare, Cat said quietly, “I pay you to work, do I not? Then why don’t I see you _doing_ it?” The edge was back in her voice, and it sent Kara and Winn scampering away from her office. 


	2. The "Aha!" Moment

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all like this! If you have strong opinions of where the story should go from here, I'd love to hear them. Right now I've got a rough outline, but I'm always happy to rethink and rework! 
> 
> So thanks to the lovely @givinguponsanity for being my beta for this one!

Kara had been right. The lull in Cat’s anger had been temporary. Ever since she had dismissed Winn and Kara from her office, Cat seemed to have made it her pet project to make Kara’s life a nightmare. The fateful coffee spill happened on Friday morning. Kara left the office that evening at midnight, having had to skip going to the DEO that day to try and finish the mountain of work Cat had deposited on her desk as the older woman had sauntered into her elevator at half past four (with only “the weekend calls” as a goodbye). 

As Kara unlocked the door to the apartment, her phone rang. She struggled into the kitchen and unceremoniously dumped her work onto the kitchen island before fishing around in her coat pocket for the phone. Grabbing it, she swiped to answer, and moved around the table towards the freezer, aiming for a large bowl of pot stickers. 

“Alex, hi, what’s up?” 

On the other end of the line, Alex let out a sigh of relief.

“Kara, thank god, I thought something had happened to you. Hank wanted to let you know that he’s found your candy stash in the command center, and he’s throwing it away as payback for missing work today.” 

“Hey –” Kara interjected just as she’d found her prize and moved towards the microwave, food and bowl in hand. “That’s so not fair, it was one day, and all I was doing was helping him re-organize our database by planet as opposed to superpowers!” 

“I’ll let you work that out with him,” Alex laughed. “Are you OK though? You missed our dinner, I thought something might be wrong, but you didn’t answer any of my texts.” 

Kara froze. Friday. It was Friday. Shit. 

“Alex, I am so, so sorry, I had my phone on silent until about half an hour ago, and today was really hectic, and… I’m really sorry. I’ll make it up to you? Brunch, tomorrow at 11?” 

“Yeah, I’d love that. And it’s fine, don’t worry about it. I got some more work done and caught up on The Good Wife.” 

“I can’t believe you’re still watching that show,” Kara sighed as she hit start on the microwave. 

“And I am really sorry about skipping out, Alex. Cat handed me around twenty pages of edits on our next big story, and I’ve got to type them up and send them to all the layout and photo guys and draw up a revised budget for the shoot and the edits are all written by hand? Who does that?” 

“Is this still payback for the coffee incident? You fixed the problem, I don’t see what the big deal is.” 

“Yeah, and it’s a big deal because no one spills coffee on Cat Grant and doesn’t get hell to pay for it…” 

Kara trailed off as she grabbed her food and started eating them at the counter. 

“Kara?”

On the other end of the line it sounded like Alex had just popped open a beer and took a gulp. 

“Earth to Kara, where’d you go?”

“Sorry, um… It’s just that, um… She wore my shirt, you know, for the interview?” Kara took a deep breath and worried her bottom lip. 

“Huh? Which shirt?” Alex’s voice was calm and steady. 

“My collared ones with pink stripes - Eliza gave it to me at my last birthday.” 

Kara’s eyes slipped out of focus as she remembered Cat in the shirt. During the two hour interview, Kara hadn’t been able to stop hovering around Cat. She’d found every excuse. Cat’s glass of water began to approach “half-empty,” Kara would sneak in to silently refill it. The photographer ate too many M&Ms and the bowl was running low? She’d come in during a brief pause in the dialogue to refill. By the end of the two and a half hours she gave up on work at all and used her super hearing to get a sneak peak at the feature story. 

“I didn’t know Banana Republic could look so good,” Kara said with a sigh, setting her now empty bowl of potstickers in the sink. 

“When does this article get published? I want to see this shirt in action for myself!” 

“It should be out on Monday, I can grab an extra copy for you from the office.” 

“Perfect. And hey, we could just skip the article and go straight for the photos. I know a great picture framing guy, he’d make a deal to help out my  _ smitten  _ baby sister.” 

“Alex! Shut up! I am  _ not  _ smitten, just… impressed… by her poise.” Before Alex could get another word in, Kara signed off with a “Goodbye!” in her best sing-song assistant voice. 

As she settled onto the couch and idly began to flip through the channels, she couldn’t help shake the tightness that had settled in the pit of her stomach at Alex’s gentle teasing. She knew Alex didn’t mean anything by it. It was the 21st century, liking a girl wasn’t beyond the realm of possibility anymore. Not that she did, necessarily. Like Cat -- Miss. Grant, that is -- like that… 

When had she started thinking of Ms. Grant as  _ Cat _ ? Retracing her week, Kara realized she couldn’t remember.

“Cat.” She whispered it, half afraid that the woman would hear it, even from across National City. Just for a second, Kara felt the tension in her body release. She sunk further into the couch as she took a shaky breath. Okay, so, maybe she  _ did  _ have a small crush on her boss. 

Replaying the last two days in her head, she remembered being transfixed by the way Cat’s chest rose and fell wearing Kara’s shirt. The way her hair had curled into the collar of the shirt, trapped under the stiff, pressed cotton. She remembered the extra sway in Cat’s hips as she moved around her office that day (in Kara’s shirt). Over and over again, images of Cat throughout the day filtered through her mind one after the other. An especially loud commercial break snapped Kara out of her almost trancelike state (thanks, Progressive). Checking her phone, she was shocked to see that it was already 2am. 

“Well shit.” 

Turning off the TV, she made her way to her bed, flicking off the main lights as she went. There’d be plenty of time tomorrow to angst over her new sexuality crisis, but if she wanted to make it to her date with Alex she’d better give up for the night and sleep. As she drifted into unconsciousness, she realized Cat hadn’t given her shirt back yet. Maybe Cat’d take pity on her tiny assistant salary and dry clean it for her?  

 

It was 10:50am and Kara still hadn’t left the house. Hopping around in one shoe, she raced through her apartment trying to find her cell phone. She’d had it on the couch, she’d talked to Alex… or, no, she’d talked to Alex and then she’d had it on the couch! Suddenly it started ringing. 

“Gotcha!” 

Kara dove into the seat cushions of the couch, fishing around until her fingers hit cool metal. Swiping onto the call screen, she answered, breathless. 

“Keira, have you finished typing up my revisions?” 

“Ms. Grant?” (“Cat,” her mind supplied.) Kara stood upright, switching into professional mode, despite being slightly askew with one foot shod and one bare. 

“I haven’t got all day, Keira. The revisions?” 

“Um, yes, I mean, no. I haven’t done them yet, but I’ll get them to you by end of day today.” There was a pause on the other end of the line. 

“Fine. Have a good morning.” 

Cat - Ms. Grant - hung up as suddenly as she’d called. Kara glanced down at her watch and cursed. 

She arrived at brunch ten minutes late - an impressive feat if she did say so herself. Alex was already helping herself to toast and jam, a bellini in hand. She took a bite just as Kara reached the table and flopped into the seat. 

“Nih o’oo shew ooh” She said around a mouthful. 

Kara cocked her head. “I definitely speak Hungry Alex, but that was just incomprehensible.”

Swallowing Alex grinned, taking a sip of her cocktail before trying again. “Nice of you to show up.” 

“Whatever,” Kara petulantly picked up the menu, sticking her tongue out at Alex. 

A waitress sauntered over to the table, pad and pen in hand. 

“What can I do you ladies for?” She asked, cheery smile on her face as she looked from Kara to Alex.   

Alex smiled back, a pink flush spreading across her cheeks at the waitress’ words. She cleared her throat. “French toast. How about you, Kara?” 

Oblivious to her sister’s reaction, Kara scanned the menu. “Hmm… I’ll take an omelette, order of pancakes, bagel and lox, and a side of hash browns. And an extra large mocha, and an orange juice.” 

“That’ll be all then?” The waitress smiled again, eyes flicking from Kara back to Alex. Alex quirked a smile, and pushed her hair behind her ear with one hand, passing the menus over with the other. 

“Thank you,” she said.

“Yeah, thanks!” Kara chimed in, taking a large gulp of water. 

The waitress left, leaving Kara and Alex. The former twirled the paper napkin holder over and over her thumb, while the latter took another sip of her bellini. 

Putting on a mock serious voice, Alex stared Kara dead in the eye and said, “So, Kara, I’m surprised you managed to get away from Cat Gr-- I mean, your work, long enough to have some brunch.” 

Alex’s words would’ve been biting, had it not been for the soft smile dancing across her lips. She quirked an eyebrow, daring Kara to snark back. 

“Are you sure that’s just your first drink of the day, Alex?” 

Alex nodded, vastly exaggerating the movement. It sent Kara into a fit of giggles, almost spitting up her latest sip of water. 

“Really though, Kara. What’s up?” 

“Well, I was thinking about what you said last night… and the joke you made… and. And, I think it might have some merit.” 

“Yeah?” 

“Yeah. Alex,” Kara looked up at her sister’s face. “I think I  _ like _ like Cat Grant.” 

“Wow. Wow, Kara. How did you figure this out? Was it… Oh my god, did I out you? I’m so sorry!” 

“It’s okay, really. I think I probably knew, you know, deep down or whatever.” 

The waitress came over to the table, placing the mocha and orange juice on Kara’s side of the table. She flashed a quick smile at Alex before moving away to check on other customers. This time, Kara caught their interaction. She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively at her sister, giant grin spreading across her face. 

“Alex! That waitress was totally just flirting with you!” 

Alex, thankful for her years of interrogation training with Hank, quickly schooled her face to a perfectly neutral expression.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said, distracting herself by taking another sip of her quickly disappearing drink. She looked back at Kara. “And don’t think that you’re going to derail our conversation that easily. You and Cat - talk.” 

Kara slumped in her seat with an exaggerated sigh. 

“Can you blame a girl for trying?” 

As the food arrived, Kara began to fill Alex in. 

“I’m definitely still into guys,” she said around a mouthful of omelette. 

“And I don’t think I’ve ever really thought of many women in a…” she wrinkled her nose “sexual way. And honestly I don’t know if I ever thought of Cat like that before this past week. I know I admired her a  _ lot _ . I mean, she juggles everything, career, family, and strikes a perfect balance. She’s excellent at pretty much everything she does, too. There’s a lot to admire with her. It was only recently that I started to see her as, well, beautiful.” 

Alex looked up from her french toast, mouth agape. 

“It sounds like you’ve got it bad.” 

Kara nodded, shifting the omelette plate aside to make room for the pancakes. 

“So,” Alex said, breaking the silence. “What are you going to do?” 


	3. A Shot in the Dark

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So because I don't know my schedule for tomorrow, you get an update a day early! Chapter three ends with a cliff hanger, and I'm super sorry, but you're probably going to have to wait another week until you get any resolution for it. But, please bear in mind that it's all in the name of getting Cat and Kara more time together. 
> 
> I'm not sure how to trigger warn this, other than to say there is a hostage situation involving middle schoolers (e.g. Carter) but no one is physically hurt.
> 
> This chapter was beta'd by @danvers-grant on tumblr, thank you for your help! Ya'll should go check her out!

 

Kara stepped through the doors of Cat’s office on Monday with a small wince. The crick in her neck, acquired from hours spent hunched in front of her laptop the past two days, still hadn’t gone away. She’d dressed in a daze, and would have forgotten the cup of Noonan’s if it weren’t for the lovely baristas running after her with the steaming cup of coffee. 

Cat, flicking her eyes up to look at her assistant, rolled her eyes in distaste. 

“What is it, Keira? Does hard work not sit well with you?” 

“Good morning to you too, Ms. Grant.” 

Kara approached the desk and carefully placed the latte on the edge of the desk, within Cat’s reach. She stood back, pulling her note pad and pen from her back pocket. Mustering every last ounce of her excitement, she asked, “So, Ms. Grant, what’s on the docket today? Your Vanity Fair article is already out, in case you wanted to look at it.” 

“Mmm, print it out and bind it for me, would you? And then send it to The Daily Planet. It’s been too long since I’ve gloated in Lois’ face.” 

As she spoke, Cat pulled up the interview, projecting it onto the mass of screens mounted to the wall behind her desk. The result was overwhelming. At least five photo spreads of Cat in her office, on the balcony, or writing were interspersed with what looked like a six or seven page article/ interview. Kara’s jaw dropped, she couldn’t help it. One of the full page spreads was a candid shot of Cat with Kara. The older woman was looking intently at Kara’s face as Kara frantically scribbled down notes about her next assignment. A small smile had graced Cat’s lips as she looked at Kara’s frantic figure. Kara hadn’t noticed this photo being taken. How could she have missed it? Hormones, Kara’s mind supplied. 

Cat, still seated at her desk, cleared her throat quietly. Kara quickly snapped out of her reverie, looking down at her boss. Cat’s mouth was quirked in the same smile that the photographer had captured that day. The smile remained as her boss’ eyes flicked down at what Kara was wearing, and Kara shifted, uncomfortable under her scrutinizing gaze. 

“You forgot a button,” Cat said, waving a hand lazily at Kara’s top. 

“Oh my god.” Kara quickly shifted her pad and pen around so she could rearrange the buttons of her cardigan. She’d missed more than a few buttons - she’d skipped two, leaving her sweater lopsided and lumpy. Get your shit together, Kara, she thought to herself. After a second of fumbling, she raised her head again, arms falling to her sides. 

“Thank you, Ms. Grant. So, today at 9:30 you have a meeting with the board. At 11 you’ve got a meeting with the layout team, and then at 1 you’ve got an appointment with Major Lane and then Carter’s parent teacher conference tonight at 8PM.” 

“Excellent. Let’s start with the gun control piece. I couldn’t for the life of me understand what you were trying to write here…” 

And so the day had begun, with only a minor mishap on Kara’s part. She settled in to a long work session, thanking her lucky stars that before they started Cat switched off the monitors behind them. 

 

“Supergirl, we need you!” 

It was Hank. 

Kara paused mid-step, Cat’s Waldorf salad tilting dangerously in her hand as she listened intently to the noise of the city. A loud crash and distant screams. Shaking her head, she walked quickly over to Winn’s desk. 

“These need to be on Ms. Grant’s desk by 12:20. She’ll be back at 12:30, and needs to get ready for her appointment with James at 1. Thanks!” 

Dropping the food on his desk, she headed over to the personnel elevators, and disappeared from sight.

Flying over National City, she radioed in to the DEO. 

“Hank, Alex, what’s going on?” 

Hanks’ voice crackled on over the radio. “There’s been an attack on St. Edmund Hall. It’s a prep school, five miles from where you are now.” 

“St. Edmund, that’s where Cat’s son is! What’s going on inside?” 

It was Alex this time. “It looks like three armed gunmen are inside right now, sweeping the building. I’m en route with a team right now. Don’t do anything before we get there, Kara. We’re three minutes behind you. Just scope it out, we can’t risk losing any of the kids. All the teachers were forced out, they’re on their own. We can’t jeopardize that.” Kara could hear her strapping into the last of her tactical gear. 

Crap, holy freaking crap. She flew faster, touching down in the school’s parking lot. Cop cars were everywhere, with police tape up fifty feet in front of the school’s doors. Cameramen and reporters were crowding the police line, jostling one another for the best views of the front steps. Almost on instinct, the press rounded on Kara, meeting her with an onslaught of questions.  
“Supergirl, can you confirm the number of gunmen in the school?” 

“Supergirl, why are they attacking this school?” 

“Is it because a number of the city’s leaders have children here?” 

“Do you know who the target is?” 

“Supergirl, how are you going to save them?” 

Crossing over the police line, Kara paced back and forth impatiently. The press were still yelling behind her, and the police were still trying to get eyes or ears on the inside. Suddenly, a single shot rang out. Everything was silent. Kara, frozen in her place, felt her breath catch in her chest. 

Shit. 

She stared at the school, staring through the bricks, through classrooms, hallways, and substructures. She couldn’t find the source of the shot. There were too many rooms, even her X-ray vision couldn’t get through all of them fast enough to be any immediate help - she needed to get into that building.

“Alex, did you hear that?” 

“We’re pulling up now. The shot came from the southeast corner of the building.” 

As she spoke, two black SUVs screeched to a halt just beyond the police cruisers. Ten DEO agents jumped out of the cars before the engines had been turned off, with Alex leading the charge. They ran in formation, crouched and tense. Kara jogged over and fell into line next to Alex. 

“We’re going to get him out safe and sound, Kara,” Alex reassured her. Turning to her team, Alex signaled them off in pairs around the building. Together with two other agents, she and Kara ran up the front steps. With Alex as her cover, Kara pulled open the heavy front doors, emblazoned with St. Edmund Hall’s crest, and stepped into the school. 

Sunlight seeped into the hallway through the large windows of the classroom doors. The hallway was carpeted, and lined with beige lockers stacked three high, stretching down the corridor. The building was, to the human ear, silent. Kara, on the other hand, could hear the faint chatter of children coming from further down the hall. Focusing on the origin of the sound, she looked through the walls, counting the number of classrooms as they shot past her view until she saw the students. 

“They’re in the gym with two of the gunmen!” She gasped as she saw Carter, sitting quietly by himself, just beyond the rest of his classmates. She took off at a sprint, Alex at her side and the DEO agents keeping pace just steps behind them. They rounded the final corner to the gym and slowed to a walk. They could hear the muffled, quiet sobs of the children echoing off the concrete walls of the gym. There were about three hundred kids. 

Kara took a breath and turned to Alex. “I’m going in. I’m going to try and talk down the ring leader,” she nodded towards the smallest man of the crew who was pacing and waving his gun wildly as he yelled at the children. The other two men stood still, calm, grunting every now and then when a kid moved too far out of place. “But I’m going to need two teams ready to take the other two men before they can do any more harm as soon as I’ve got the leader under control. Okay?” 

Alex nodded. “Be careful, Kara.” She and her agents fell back, organizing themselves and the rest of their team into the two groups Kara asked for. 

Kara pulled open the door to the gym and stepped in, praying to Rao that she knew what she’s doing, that she can get Carter and his classmates out of there, safe. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will wrap up this situation - no bloodshed, I can promise this. However, we will look (briefly) at Carter's trauma after this event, so if that makes anyone uncomfortable, then please, take care.


	4. I of the Storm

As she stepped into the gym she was hit by a wall of sound that, try as she might, she couldn’t dull. Wave after wave of each small whimper and shoe scuffing on the wood flooring, every grunt of the mercenaries for hire as they bore down on the terrified children, and the ring leader, screaming obscenities into the air, cursing the children, the city, and losing his job crashed over her ears. The man rounded on Kara as soon as she entered the room. 

“Don’t move!” Turning to his cronies, he screamed, “How could you let this _thing_ in here? I thought I told you to sweep this shit hole!” He leveled his gun at Kara’s face and took two steps toward her. 

“I’m Supergirl—” Kara began. 

“I know who you are!” the man yelled. “Pet project of _Cat Grant_ , queen _bitch_ of the media.” 

Kara wanted to scream, to yell, to defend Cat’s reputation. Who was this man, who thought he could kidnap children and then utter her name? 

Instead, she said: “You know Ms. Grant?” 

She was careful to include Cat’s honorific, if only to make a point. 

“Bitch fired me last week,” he said, eyes sweeping the room for any more surprise visitors. 

Keeping her face a mask of sincerity, Kara wracked her brain, trying to think of who this man might have been. As far as she knew, there had only been one person fired in the past week. Oh. David, the man who broke Catco’s elevator. 

“Your firing was unfair, but this - holding children hostage at gunpoint - is not the answer. We can work it out - You can go back to Catco and try to renegotiate. Or use this as an opportunity to raise awareness of National City’s steep job insecurity rate, become a spokesperson for others like you, and really work to make a difference. You have the opportunity to make a difference here, David.” 

Through the small comm lodged in her left ear she heard Alex clear her throat. “His name is David Tanner. He was fired last week from Catco. He’d been with the company for four years, working his way up to being an assistant puzzler for the company’s online crosswords. His wife just left him, leaving him with his daughter, Jemma, who’s 12. He can’t afford the mortgage on his house alone, so the bank’s about to foreclose. Keep him talking, Kara, we’re getting into position.” 

Kara looked around the room, hoping to catch Carter’s eye. 

“I won’t be able to do _shit_ after this, so why should I stop?” 

His voice was loud and harsh. It reverberated around the high ceiling. Every time he spoke, the children flinched. 

The rest of his words were lost on Kara, who’d managed to catch Carter’s eye and give a nearly imperceptible nod before quickly moving her gaze on to the other students. She could hear him let out a small sigh of relief at her recognition of him. She wanted to run to him and wrap herself around him. _Nothing_ could happen to him, because Rao help her if she had to look Cat in the eye and say she couldn’t save her son. Kara turned to David. He was still speaking. 

“Why _shouldn’t_ I keep going? Their parents,” He waved his gun wildly through the air, swinging it round to indicate the children he had hostage, who all ducked and scurried to avoid him. “Their mommies and daddies — the ‘leaders’ of National City — are loaded and selfish. They take away the jobs of _real_ Americans, and then champion people like _you_.” 

_People like you_. 

_Alien._

_Unnatural._

It was nothing new, but it still felt like a punch to the gut. 

“Because,” she said firmly. “This isn’t the way. Holding these children hostage, extorting their parents, all you’re doing is making people fear you, and fear won’t help you buy back your home, or protect your daughter. It makes you as bad as them. What about Jemma? If you go through with this, you’ll never see her again. You want to prove you deserve second chances and good faith? This isn’t the way. Let me help you.” 

The anger on the man’s face turned to shock at hearing his daughter’s name, then fear. 

“It doesn’t matter, I, I can’t do anything about it.” He readjusted his grip on the gun, shaking his head violently. “It doesn’t matter, it doesn’t matter.” He threw his arms above his head and began pacing back and forth between the clusters of students, muttering to himself. Kara couldn’t help but wince as his finger got dangerously close to the trigger. 

She could take him out in seconds. He wasn’t a big man, it would be quick, clean. But she couldn’t predict what his cronies would do, and there were still too many kids here - too many opportunities for something to go wrong. Without backup, it would be a disaster. She had to wait for Alex. 

David swung his gun arm down till Kara was staring down the barrel held level with her eyes.

“It’s okay to be scared of the future, David. But to let that fear turn into anger and hatred, to lash out and hurt other people because of it? What does that tell our kids? It makes us no better than the bully businessmen, picking on the little guys to blow off steam.” 

Slowly, with every word, she’d inched closer and closer to David, moving so that she was just off center from his outstretched arm, until she was only inches away from the muzzle of his gun. She almost didn’t breathe. The bullet couldn’t go through her, but there was still no telling what would happen if she got shot point blank in the face. 

“There are other ways to fight back, David, ways that will make your daughter proud.” 

The man was sweating violently, leaning toward her with eyes that flicked back and forth from the imposing figure before him to all of the children in the room. Someone had started sobbing again, and she could hear the other children crowding around her, trying to calm them down and shield them from Tanner’s sight. 

Kara held up her hand, slowly placing it on the gun, before wrapping her fingers around the muzzle. As his fore finger fell off the trigger, she gently took the gun out of his hand. 

Over the comm she could hear Alex counting down. She tensed, ready to make her move. 

“Thank you, David. I promise, I’ll help you.” 

As she said this, DEO agents swarmed the gym. Six surrounded the other two armed men, while the rest worked quickly and efficiently to move the kids out of harms way. Alex came over to cuff David, reading him his rights as she lead him out of the gym. 

Kara followed at a distance, watching as children ran to their parents, huddled in anxious clusters around the EMS trucks. She searched their faces, watching as joy and relief spread across their faces and they tearfully embraced their children. She recognized some of them; the mayor and his wife, the director of the police department. Where was Cat? It wasn’t until she heard Carter yell and saw him tearing past the police line, that she saw her. 

Cat was standing fifty yards back behind the police cruisers. Her coat was pulled tightly around her small frame. As Carter barreled toward her, she knelt on the ground, absorbing the shock of his reaching her, and wrapped him in the tightest hug. The two stayed like that, crouched on the ground clutching one another, until Kara had navigated around the police barrier and was feet from them. They were far enough back that she didn’t worry about any reporters spotting them. She quietly cleared her throat. Cat’s head jerked up and Kara could see the tracks of tears etched on her face. 

“Thank you for bringing my son back to me.” 

The older woman’s voice was rough and quiet. Carter still had his head buried in the crook of her neck, and small sobs wracked his body. Cat’s hands worked as if on instinct smoothing his hair and rubbing intricate circles up and down his spine. 

“Your welcome, Ms. Grant.” She paused. “The man who — the man was David Tanner. He worked for…”

“Me.” Cat gently stood up, making sure to not jostle Carter all the while keeping his hand clutched in hers. 

“We should be going.”With a final nod, she led Carter away toward their car. He threw his head over his shoulder and gave Kara a half-hearted smile, before ducking back under his mother’s arm. 

 

Alex found her standing there. All the families were reunited and debriefed, with Cat being the only exception. Promising that she and Hank would stop by and debrief her tomorrow, she led Kara away with promises of ice cream sundaes and a re-watch of The Princess Bride. They walked back to the van arm in arm. Together they crawled into the back, shoulder to shoulder with the other agents and shared an exhausting ride back to the DEO. They were checking in their gear when Hank found them. 

“Agent Danvers, Supergirl.” He paused, hands placed steadfastly on his hips, just above his holster belt. 

“You both did good work today.” 

Alex turned around to give him a soft, exhausted smile and a small nod. “I’m going to call it a day and take her home if that’s all right?” 

Kara was sitting on one of the long locker benches, dressed in her civilian clothes again. She didn’t move, except for the hand that fiddled with her necklace. Hank gave Alex a nod and a clasp on the shoulder before wandering out again. 

Alex slid onto the bench next to Kara. She gently took the hand that was playing with the necklace and laced her fingers with Kara’s. Kara bumped her shoulder against her sister’s, leaning into her. 

“I thought I was going to lose him, Alex. I thought — I wasn’t sure I’d get there in time. When I heard the shot…” 

“Tanner had shot at the ceiling, trying to… quiet the kids. Our techs found the bullet about twenty minutes ago.” 

“Okay.” 

Alex stood up. 

“C’mon, our ice cream awaits.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title is taken from the Of Monsters and Men song of the same name. 
> 
> See? No one hurt. Lots more of Cat/ Kara one-on-one time to come. It'll be nice and fluffy, never fear!


	5. Something to Behold, Elegant and Bold

_“We don’t need people like_ you _!”_

Kara woke with a start, with David Tanner’s voice still ringing in her ears. Her chest was tight and her breaths came in short, explosive gasps. Staring at the ceiling, she rolled onto her back, counting her breaths, four counts in, five counts out, until they slowly evened and the knot in her chest unwound. Outside the window the sky was still dark, with a faint pink hue just beginning to peak over the skyline. With a groan, Kara rolled out of bed and began padding around the room, getting ready for the day. Underwear, bra, dress from the rack, shoes, socks. She half assembled, half threw everything onto her bed before heading into the bathroom. 

Standing under the lukewarm spray of her shower, Kara’s thoughts inevitably turned to Cat. It had been two days since Carter had been held hostage, and neither Kara nor Supergirl had seen hide nor hair of the other woman. Cat had, much to the astonishment of Catco’s entire company, called in sick two days running, with no explanation. (Not that she needed one.) Everyone at Catco knew that Carter had been part of the school group held hostage by a former employee, and it was the talk of everyone’s lunch breaks. In light of her boss’s absence, Kara had fielded calls, rescheduled meetings, and kept up with Cat’s appointments, handling as many as she could herself, and shouldering the ones she couldn’t onto James and the company’s other senior staff. 

As Supergirl, she’d stopped by Cat’s office balcony every night just in case the woman decided to make up the lost time. Each time, finding the office empty as when she’d left it, Kara would spend the next couple of hours lying on the couch looking out at the skyline until either Alex, or her own exhaustion, called her home. She’d almost flown by Cat’s apartment, but stopped herself each time, afraid to break the privacy Cat had so carefully built up around her life with Carter. She’d fly instead to the homes of her other family - Alex, Eliza, Winn, James, J’onn and watch them putter about their evenings, making dinner, watching TV, playing video games, or getting ready for bed. 

_Her other family._ Yes. They were her family, but so was Cat, and so was Carter, in their own ways. She’d given so much to Catco, so much of her devotion, energy, love. And while her love for the company no where equalled Cat’s, Kara guessed she could give her a run for her money. And Carter. She’d always liked kids, sure. They were squishy and adorable when they babies, and still cute in their own ways as they started growing up, but she’d never really known what to _do_ with one. She barely survived middle school as it is, so what could she possibly say to someone living it? 

But Carter had been different - special, like Cat said. He was quiet, and discerning, and nerdy, and _smart_. Even despite the chaos of their last evening together, by the time she handed Carter back to Cat, she felt like they’d clicked. Stepping out of the shower, Kara wrapped herself snuggly in her bathrobe (her oh, so-so-so soft bathrobe) before padding back into the bedroom and starting her day. 

Just seconds before Kara was heading out the door, her phone buzzed on the counter with the unmistakeable beeps of a work text. Snagging it off the counter she read it as she shouldered her bag and stuck the last bite of egg sandwich in her mouth. 

_Working from home today._

The next message contained the address to Cat’s apartment. 

_8AM sharp, cappuccino +2 espresso._

Kara gulped down the bite in her mouth. Cat wanted her, in Cat’s apartment? Oh boy. She’d wanted to see Cat, but this - this might just be too much for her to handle. With a deep breath, she headed out the door, steeling her nerves for a day spent in her beautiful boss’s home. 

 

Steaming cappuccino in hand, Kara cautiously rapped on the door to Cat’s apartment. 

“Ms. Grant? It’s, it’s Kara… I’ve got your —” 

The door flew open, and there, in all her glory, stood a disgruntled Cat. 

“—coffee,” Kara finished. 

Kara’s eyes scanned up and down Cat’s body, part of her worried that it was her, not Carter, who had been hurt. Instead of bruises, she found soft, fleece leggings and a loose, but still fashionably slimming sweatshirt. _Oh_ , was all Kara’s brain could muster. Cat looked so… domestic. 

Cat, one hand on her hip, rolled her eyes. Stepping back, she opened the door further, motioning for Kara to come in. With a “we haven’t got all day” thrown over her shoulder, she sauntered away, leaving Kara to close the door and trot towards the kitchen island in her wake. 

“Carter’s in his bedroom playing his video games,” Cat said with a wave of her hand. “We can set up here. You brought your things, yes?” 

Kara nodded, sliding onto one of the island’s barstools and pulling her bag up onto the counter. 

“So, Ms. Grant, what would you like to start with? I can fill you in on what I’ve done in your absence. James is finishing up the layout for the gun control piece, including an optional new statement from the NCPD about what happened at…” 

“At St. Edmund. I figured,” Cat filled in. She paused, taking a glance down the apartment’s back hallway to where Kara assumed Carter’s room was. Looking back at Kara, she paused. 

“Have you eaten this morning?”

At Kara’s shocked look, she cracked a small smile. “You are in my home, Keira. You don’t think I’d be so rude as to not at least ask?” 

“I’ve eaten, thank you, Ms. Grant.” 

Pouring two glasses of water, she pulled up a seat across from Kara. 

“Well, we haven’t got all the time in the world. Fill me in.” 

Kara spent the morning in a somewhat harried state of awe, all of which was the result of sitting in Cat’s home, in her kitchen, while her son played games in the next room. Every couple of minutes Kara tried to surreptitiously wipe the sweat off her hands. She couldn’t help but worry about dropping Cat’s beautiful tall glasses, or accidentally dropping her Surface as she flipped it around to show Cat a new layout or article proposal. She was almost positive Cat could tell, too. Every time Kara was just a little too clumsy, or too fast and flustered in answering a question, Cat would tilt her head, or quirk an eyebrow in what Kara hoped was an amused way. 

Around noon, Cat leaned back from her laptop and stretched, arms reaching high above her body, back arching out in a way that Kara found positively distracting. With a small sigh Cat settled back onto her seat and looked at Kara with a piercing gaze. 

“It’s just about lunch time, I think.” She swung off the chair and moved around the table. 

“Excuse me for a minute. I’ll get Carter and then we can eat.”

“What would you like me to get, Ms. Grant? There’s an Indian restaurant not too far from here that delivers…” 

“Leave it, Keira, we’ve got enough here. Just wait one moment.”

In Cat’s absence, Kara cautiously walked through the kitchen, running her fingers along the rim of the counter, over the smooth chrome handlebars of the drawers. She didn’t think she could ever forget the sight of Cat in a sweatshirt and yoga pants, hair falling in artfully messy curls around her slim shoulders, or the way her voice was just a little bit softer, her walls just a little bit lower. 

She heard Cat open Carter’s door and ask him a question before padding back down the hallway. She spun around and paused. Cat had changed out of her other outfit and into the very same Banana Republic shirt from the week before. Cat still had her shirt! Not only that, but she was _wearing_ it, here, in her home. She’d paired it with light wash jeans and soft looking loafer flats. She was breathtaking. And the shirt. Oh my god. Kara could’ve sworn that the shirt was unbuttoned an extra button, or maybe it was just a trick of the light? Afraid that her eyes were lingering too long, she ducked her head and busied herself with moving her computer and notes into a small pile on the island. 

“Okay Ms. Grant, what would you like for lunch?” 

“Kara —” 

Her breath hitched as Cat said her name. 

“Don’t be silly, you’re in my home, I’m cooking. Sit down, Carter will be out in a couple of minutes. Does a panini appeal to you? They’re Carter’s favorites.” 

Sliding back onto her stool, Kara couldn’t help the grin that spread across her face. 

“That sounds perfect, Ms. Grant, thank you.” 

She watched as Cat moved easily through her kitchen, grabbing ingredients from the fridge, setting up her panini press, and pulling out drinks for the three of them. As the smell of the bread and cheese filled the room, Carter sauntered out of his room, greeting Kara with a crooked smile, and clambering into the seat next to her. A comfortable silence descended on the room. Cat flipped, sliced, and served the paninis with a flair, proudly sliding a plateful across the island to each of them. 

As they ate, Cat and Kara exchanged quick glances here and there. Their eyes lingered at a particularly large bite that Carter took, resulting in food spilling down his chin, and when Kara stood to collect their plates and quickly clean the kitchen. Each time, Kara’s stomach did a flip. Kara was positively giddy. 

 

By the end of the day they had worked out a two week plan for Catco, should Cat’s absence stretch out any longer, rescheduled and rearranged appointments, and finalized the next day’s newspaper. And Kara was, without a doubt, head over heels for her boss. She left with a smile on her face and an extra panini tucked away in her bag. She was so excited that the memory of her nightmare the night before had faded to a distant memory. She could deal with her bad dreams another day. For now, her life was pretty damn good. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for the delay!! Classes started and everything got a little harried over here. Let me know what you think, I hope this was a fluffy enough chapter!


	6. Tell Me What We Choose

“Kara?” 

Kara moved around the bar, wide grin across her face. 

“Right here! Thank you. Extra shot, piping hot, right?” 

She looked up, glancing at the barista’s face. He handed over the coffee with a nod. 

“Yes ma’am,” he said with a smirk. When Kara’s hand clasped the cup, his eyes met hers, and he refused to let go of the cup. Her brow furrowed in confusion. 

“I’m sorry, did I forget something?” 

“Where are you from?” 

_Oh. That question._

“National City.” Her work as Supergirl (and Ms. Grant’s assistant) helped her keep her voice light and level. 

“No, I mean, where are you _really_ from?” 

“Why do you want to know?” Chipper, Kara, keep it chipper. Don’t crush the coffee, don’t crush the coffee, don’t crush… 

“Your English is just really good, you know, for someone like you, that’s all. C’mon, tell me where you’re from!” 

“I’m adopted,” Kara gritted out, dropping all pretenses of amusement. 

Suddenly, another barista appeared. It was the woman who usually handled Cat’s orders, Tori. Glancing at Kara’s face, she made a beeline for the two of them. As she approached, Corey dropped the coffee. Kara caught it, thank god, without any spillage. 

“Corey,” Tori said, “Ed needs your help with the steamer, I’ll finish up with Ms. Danvers.” Like Kara, Tori was an expert with the light but firm voice. Paired with a glare, it sent Corey hurrying back to the front of the bar. 

_Yeah, you better run!_ Kara thought. Looking back at Tori she let out her breath with a relieved smile. Ducking her head in equal parts thanks and embarassment, she pulled a loose strand of hair back behind her ear. 

“Thanks, Tori.” 

“‘Course, Danvers. Are you, like, okay? I’m so, so sorry about him. I keep tellin’ the boss he can’t be up front yet, but like shit. I’ll do what I can next time.” 

“It’s no problem, really, it happens all the time,” Kara said hurriedly. She _really_ didn’t need to make waves at Cat’s favorite coffee place - actually, that was the last thing she needed. She’d put up with as many rude baristas as it took to see Cat’s small smile of satisfaction as she took the first sip. 

“No,” Tori said, “it’s really not.” 

The power in her voice startled Kara. 

“You’re not the first…” she paused, trying to think through her phrasing, “ You’re not the first Asian woman he’s done that too, Danvers - it’s _creepy_. I’m going to talk to the manager. If my boss calls you, would you talk to him? What Corey’s doing is _harassment_.” She shook her head. 

“Um, sure, yeah, that’s fine… I gotta run, Tori, but, um, thank you again.” 

With one last smile, Kara fled the coffee shop. Riding up the main elevator to Catco, she quickly gave the coffee a two second heat-vision blast, leaving it steaming by the time she ran across the bullpen. Kara fell in behind Cat as she swept out through her elevator doors, and this time she very careful to watch where she stepped. 

It had been a week since the incident at the school, and today marked Cat’s first day back at work (and Carter’s first day back at school). As such, Cat was decked out in an almost sheer blouse, with a mid-thigh length black blazer over top, emerald green slacks, and simple loafers to finish off the outfit. She breezed through the office as if she didn’t have time for anyone or anything to distract her, but Kara knew better. She could tell that Cat was surveying the state of the office and her employees, making note of the ones working overtime in her absence, and the ones who’d slacked off. Kara had been especially careful not to be in the latter group. 

“How was your weekend, Ms. Grant? Is Carter doing okay?”

“Yes, yes, Carter is doing much better, thank you,” Cat said, whisking the coffee out of Kara’s hand, and settling behind her desk. 

“Excellent!” Kara replied, fighting hard to keep her face a mask of pleasant curiosity. She couldn’t fight the relief that spread through her body though.

Cat began sifting through the papers on her desk, quickly catching herself up on everything she’d missed. Kara took the opportunity to study her in her element, just as she had every day for the last couple of years. Now, however, her observations leaned away from the “she’s so amazing and powerful and smart” variety, and towards the “her jawline could cut glass, and ohmigod when she tilts her head and furrows her brow like that…” variety. 

However, no amount of ogling her boss could erase the sour feeling her encounter at Noonan’s had left in her mouth. A part of her wondered what Cat would have done if she saw someone ask Kara those questions. Probably nothing, the pragmatic side of her chimed in. No amount of eye contact could erase the fact that Cat was straight, with a son, and her boss, and definitely not interested in a relationship with her much younger assistant. But maybe, just maybe, she’d still have come to Kara’s defense? 

“Hello? Earth to Keira,” Cat’s annoyed voice cut through her reverie, calm and cool, leading Kara back into the moment. Shaken out of her daze, Kara blinked, looking back towards her boss. Cat studied her for a second, and seemed to relax almost imperceptibly. Her back loosened from its usual ramrod straightness, and she cocked her head gently to the side. 

“What happened, Kara?” 

Her voice was soft, with a certain gentleness Kara had thought was reserved for Carter and Carter alone. That alone made Kara glance up. 

“Uh, it’s really nothing, Ms. Grant, I’ve got it under control,” Kara said, her words riding on one long string of nervous energy. 

Cat took a breath. 

“I understand if you don’t want to tell me, Kara. But know that you are my employee, my assistant. A good one at that,” she added off handedly. “When something is really bothering you, it saves us both time and energy when you tell me rather than pushing through by yourself. Time is money, and we don’t have any to waste. And,” she added, “if I can help, I’d like to.” Her eyes widened slightly at the addendum, as if she’d startled even herself with the admission. 

Kara clenched her jaw, willing herself to not cry in front of her boss. Such encounters aren’t unusual, Kara reasoned. It was just the proximity to the Tanner incident that made it cut a bit deeper than she was used to. _Keep it together, Zor-el, just keep it together_. Across from her, Cat was quiet, studying her intently. Kara couldn’t bring herself to look in the older woman's eyes, instead staring at her lapel, or her earring, or her collarbone. If she looked at Cat, she’d falter, she’d break. The girl of steel, brought to her knees by a question from Cat Grant. Better not tell anyone the other woman from her was her real kryptonite, she joked bitterly with herself. 

Cat stood quietly, walking back around the desk, and, with a hand on Kara’s shoulder, guided her out onto the balcony, letting the door swing shut behind them. Silence stretched between them as Kara walked over to the railing and staring out at the view she knew so well. She ran her hands over the cold metal, blinking away the tears that threatened to fall. 

With Cat back at the office, back at work, her world was finally back to normal. And, with that came a massive relief that rolled in waves through her body. The late nights spent circling the city, searching for the sounds of her family’s voices, for Cat’s laughter as it rang out in her apartment, for her tears shed only after midnight, when Carter was sure to be asleep. Kara, as she flew, had heard it all, carried it with her. 

The night after her first work-from-home day with Cat, she had been flying at 2AM because sleep had, yet again, eluded her. She never went within sightline of the CEO’s apartment, but she always listened in to make sure she and her son were okay. That night she’d heard Carter’s distant sobs. As she hovered over the city, his cries tore at her heart. Thirty seconds later she’d heard Cat’s voice, soothing and soft, quietly singing lullaby after lullaby after lullaby to him. Kara had listened for half an hour, during which time Cat never stopped her singing. That night Kara had fled to her own bedroom and let her own sobs wrack her body for the pain the two of them must have felt. 

Cat, still a couple of steps behind her, cleared her throat. 

“Kara.” 

_Two times in one day. I must be a wreck,_ Kara thought _. She’s also probably still in Mom-mode, her brain added. Don’t mistake it for any sort of overt affection._

Wiping her nose, Kara said, “Ms. Grant.” Her voice came out raspier than she’d intended. 

“Tell me.” Cat’s voice, though still gentle, was commanding. 

“I’m sorry, Ms. Grant, it’s really nothing…” Kara paused. She couldn’t mention Tanner. “Someone this morning just said something… mean (or, uh, racist?) to me this morning, and,” she let out a self-deprecating chuckle, “for some reason it’s… affecting me more than usual.” Wiping her nose again, she added, “don’t worry, I won’t let it affect my work today, or in the future. I’m sorry it’s already caused such a delay this morning…” her voice trailed off. 

Cat was looking at her thoughtfully. The woman moved to stand next to Kara the balcony, and stared out at the skyline as she thought. Kara couldn’t help but wonder what memories Cat associated with this view. 

“I’ve experienced my fair share of sexism, in the workplace,” Cat began slowly. “When I was young, green, it shook me, made me falter. I grew stronger, harder, over time, and slowly it’s affects on me have become… weaker… But to this day, it has never stopped hurting. I realize all I’ve done is get better at hiding myself. And sometimes, however much I fight it, it still hits just as hard as it did when I was just starting out.” She looked at Kara, her expression unreadable. 

“All this is to say, Kara —” 

Four times! 

“It is okay, in fact it is normal, for things like that to still hurt. That is their nature and their purpose. And it is okay for you to take the time here, at work, to process them. Not doing so only gives the wielder of those words and those people _more_ power. But never wallow. Feel, and then get back to work and prove. them. wrong.” 

As Cat spoke, the tears Kara had held back began to leak from the corners of her eyes. Cat noticed, and seemingly without thinking reached her hands to Kara’s face and gently brushed them off her face. The pads of her thumbs moved with a practiced precision, and the effect on Kara was equal parts comforting and terrifying. Cat slowly dropped her hands to her sides, still staring at Kara.  
“Thank you, Ms. Grant,” Kara said, trying to express the true weight of her gratitude and love for the other woman. Love? Kara’s breath hitched. At the sound, Cat’s eyes darted to Kara’s mouth, her own lips parting slightly, before flicking her eyes back to Kara’s. Hesitantly, Cat took a step closer, all but removing the gap between them, and gazed up at Kara. 

“Ms. Grant?” James’ voice rang through the office, the sheer force of it causing the women to leap away from one another, Kara instinctively pulling out her notepad and flipping through it furiously. Cat, startled back into the moment, transformed into the cynical, guarded, Queen of All Media that her employees expected of her (and that Kara knew so well). 

With a deep breath, Cat yelled out, “We’re on the balcony, James!” 

Too busy looking at the pad, Kara missed the older woman’s eyes studying her with a tender curiosity, before her expression flipped to neutral and she whirled to face James as he stepped onto the balcony. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title from "Fools," by Lauren Aquilina
> 
> A massive thanks to @Callmeverity (check out her tumblr under the same name!) for beta-ing this chapter!!! If any mistakes remain, they're mine, courtesy of the editing process :P


	7. Something Pulls Me Back to You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a bit short, I know. I've been swamped this week getting ready for a theater performance so everything non-essential got pushed to the back burners for a bit. But it is here! And we're getting closer to some resolution!! (I did say it was slow-burn!)

Kara sank down onto Alex’s couch, pint of ice cream firmly in hand, and dug her spoon deep into the chocolate and caramel swirls. Alex, with a bowl of her own, scooted next to her. She rested her head on Kara’s shoulder and took a slow bite of ice cream. The waiting game had always worked with Kara. Given some comfort food, cuddles, and enough time, she’d eventually tell Alex what was on her mind. They sat in silence for a long moment, eating as _Parks and Recreation_ played softly on the TV. 

“What do I do, Alex?” Kara’s voice was soft, and a little rough. 

Alex tilted her head to look up at Kara’s face. 

“What do you mean?” 

“I told you about what happened at Noonan’s, right?” 

Alex nodded, gently pushing off of Kara to sit upright. 

“It hit me really hard,” Kara began. “After Tanner… it really hit me. (And you know, stuff like that doesn’t really get to me anymore usually, right?) Maybe it was the exhaustion, I don’t know. But I was _not_ on top of my game at work. I was out of it. Cat noticed, she… We went out onto the balcony and she made me — _asked_ me to tell her what had happened…” 

Kara’s voice trailed off and she filled the space by taking another huge bite of ice cream. Alex waited patiently, scooting around on the couch until she was stretched out, head on the arm rest, and feet draped over Kara’s lap. She wiggled her toes as Kara swallowed the last of the bite, a silent prompt for her to continue. 

Staring down into the container, Kara said, “I think she almost kissed me,” so rapidly that Alex had to replay her words over in her head. 

“I’m sorry, repeat that, please,” she asked, barely hiding her incredulity. 

“We almost kissed.” Kara met Alex’s eyes as a soft flush covered her cheeks. 

“Wow.” Alex set down her bowl before turning back to Kara and letting a huge grin spread across her face. 

“Wow, Kara! Holy shit! You and Cat? Oh my god. Do you think she, I mean, do you think it was intentional? Like, maybe her super maternal instincts were still in high gear?” 

“Oh man I hope not.” Kara made a face. “No, she knew, Alex. She knew. Ugggh!” She pushed her now empty container onto the table and flung her arms into the air. 

“What am I going to _do_ , Alex? I almost kissed my boss! _She_ almost kissed me!” She let out another loud groan and curled up over her sisters legs. 

“Aww, Kara, it’s going to be OK. Is it incredibly awkward and against company policy? Yeah, sure. But look on the bright side!” Kara didn’t move a muscle. 

“You know she likes you!” Alex punctuated her thought by draping herself over Kara, wrapping her up in a burrito hug. 

Sitting back up, Kara looked balefully at Alex. 

“What do I do, Alex?” 

“Well, do you want to keep working at Catco? Or do you want to try for a real relationship with Cat.” 

“I’d like… I’d like to try, with Cat, if she would.” 

“Okay, then,” Alex said definitively. “First things first, take a read on Cat. Figure out if it was a one-time fluke, or if there’s a real chance there!” She leaned over, picking up her ice cream bowl again. 

“But do that tomorrow. Right now, we’ve got a _whole_ lot of Grey’s Anatomy to watch!” 

“You just wanna see Callie and Arizona,” Kara teased, snuggling up against her sister, pulling a blanket over their legs. 

“Damn straight, sis.” Alex flipped to the show and they settled in for a long night of binge watching with the fine doctors of Seattle-Grey. 

 

Saturday morning rolled around to find the Danvers sisters still curled up on the couch, empty ice cream bowls strewn across the coffee table in front of them, and the Netflix page stalled out on the “Are you _sure_ you’re still watching?” screen. Around 10, Kara extricated herself from Alex and their pile of blankets (amassed during a pause in their marathon) and padded over to the kitchen. By the time Alex finally woke up, the coffee had been brewed, pancakes made, and apartment mostly cleaned up from their adventures the night before. 

“Good morning, sunshine!” Kara hollered as she set a steaming plate of pancakes onto the dining room table. From the couch she could hear Alex startle awake, shooting straight upright at the sound of Kara’s voice. 

“What? What’s going on? Are you hurt?” Still half asleep, Alex’s training provided the questions that she rapidly listed off. 

“Food, Alex,” Kara said with a laugh. “Pancakes, coffee, and crossword puzzles!” 

“Ugh. No. No words. Too early. Food.” 

“Food!” Kara mimicked back. “I Tarzan, you Jane.” 

“Shut up!”

Alex shuffled over to the table and plopped into her seat, unceremoniously grabbing three pancakes and quickly moving them to her plate before Kara could sit down and claim all of them. Alex had learned early that if she wanted any pancakes, she’d have to get them before Kara, and take as many as she could possibly need, lest they be devoured by her little sister in the time it took her to blink an eye. They ate quietly, every now and then asking one another for a clue with a tricky word in the crosswords, or checking to see if they wanted more juice, bacon, or syrup. As they were cleaning up, Alex side eyed her sister again. Kara was scrubbing away at the skillet. 

“So, any idea what you’re going to do?”

Kara set the plate down in the sink and wiped her face with the back of her hand. 

“No, I don’t. Talk to Cat, I guess.” She leaned her hip on the counter and turned to face Alex. 

“Today? Is that weird? I feel like I need to. I need to know, you know? If she… feels the same way?” Kara paused, screwing her face up in a mixture of confusion and frustration. 

“I don’t think…” she began. “I don’t think I could keep working there. Either way. If she feels the same, it’d be a employee conduct violation. If she doesn’t… well… Alex, I think I feel too strongly to keep working with her so closely.” 

Alex closed the distance between them and wrapped Kara in a hug, rubbing circles round the small of her back. Kara sank into Alex’s arms, burrowing deep into the small of her sister’s neck. 

“Shhh, it’s okay. You don’t have to keep working there. That is a valid reason to quit. You’d get a glowing recommendation from Cat, and hell, you could even use James as a reference. It’s going to be okay, Kara. Hey, look. I’ll finish up here, why don’t you go home, see if you can meet up with Cat, and then I’ll bring over some late-night pizza and we can finish season four of Grey’s.” Kara pulled back and nodded, face already set in a mask of concentration. Ten minutes she was out the door and heading back home, already planning a way to talk with Cat before the weekend was out. 

An hour later, Kara was pacing the full length of her apartment, her phone at her ear. It rang, over, and over, and over, and over again. _AARGH. Why won’t she pick up! Why was Kara calling? Why isn’t anything happening? What if something happens?? Breathe._ Focusing on deep inhalations, Kara slowed her pacing. Just as her breathing evened out again, the other line picked up. 

“Hello?” Cat’s voice echoed in her ear, sending goosebumps skittering down Kara’s spine. 

“Ms. Grant!” Kara couldn’t help the crack that squeaked out as she spoke. 

“Kara? Why are you calling?” Cat’s voice was unreadable. 

“Hi! Um, I was wondering if you would be free at some point, this weekend, to meet me for coffee?” Kara held her breath. 

“Okay. That doesn’t sound horrible. Carter’s got violin lessons, at two.” 

“Two? Two is perfect, thank you, Ms. Grant.” 

“Yes, well. Come to my apartment at two.” Cat cut the call short, as usual omitting any simple pleasantries like “Goodbye,” or “see you then.” 

Looking at her watch, Kara blanched. Two was only an hour away! She took off like a shot to her bedroom and began tearing through her clothes, trying to find something appropriate (if there was such a thing!) for a meeting like this one. Settling on simple, she grabbed her favorite pair of jeans and a clean sweater, and headed to the bathroom. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title is a variation on lyrics from "Gravity," by Sara Bareilles.


	8. Tell Me What We Choose

One hour later Kara stood in the hallway outside of Cat’s apartment. Her fingers danced along the neckline of her dress, rubbing nervously at the fabric. She stared at the door bell, unmoving but for the anxious back and forth of her fingers. She just needed to press it. _But what if there was no answer? What if this was all just a joke? Maybe Cat had started one of those prank segments that talk show hosts like!_

Just as her brain began to lead her down another rabbit hole of doubt, the door opened and there stood Cat. Like the last time they’d met at Cat’s apartment, the woman was dressed simply in a cozy looking sweater and soft leggings. Kara, who’d opted for more work-appropriate clothing, suddenly felt over dressed. 

Cat motioned for Kara to enter. They made their way silently to the kitchen, where Cat had laid out two simple place settings on the island. Kara slid into the nearest seat at the table, and waited as Cat moved around the kitchen, bringing salad and paninis to the table. 

“I made extras - Carter requested them again,” Cat said, by way of explanation. She settled into the seat across from Kara, and daintily picked up a half of a sandwich. 

“It smells wonderful,” Kara murmured. “Thanks,” she added, as Cat handed her the serving plate. 

They ate quietly, Kara letting slip a moan of appreciation when she bit into the panini.

“This is _so_ amazing!” She exclaimed around a large mouthful. Having relaxed as they ate, Cat gave Kara a wide grin, even letting out a laugh as Kara devoured the sandwich, hardly stopping to breath between bites. 

“Martha Stewart got one thing right,” Cat chuckled ruefully. She leaned back to the counter from her seat and grabbed a napkin. 

“For the love of God, wipe your face!” 

Without warning she tossed the napkin at Kara. Stunned at the piece of colorful fabric flying at her head, Kara let out a small shriek as the napkin hit her squarely in her face and hung, stuck, on the rim of her glasses. 

“Really?” Kara cried indignantly. 

Inside, Kara thrilled at this unexpected bout of playfulness. Her stomach flip-flopped when Cat chuckled in response and she couldn’t bring herself to remove the napkin, to risk the end of this moment. 

It took Kara a minute to extricate herself from the cloth, but when she emerged she was greeted by Cat’s soft, smiling face. Cat’s eyes roamed her face for a moment, before the older woman ducked her head. Kara thought she saw the beginnings of a blush creeping across her boss’s face. She didn’t mention it, letting Cat start daintily poking at her salad. 

They ate in companionable silence after that, Cat scooting a copy of the New Yorker over to Kara while she flipped through a copy of The Nation. Every now and then Cat would let out a murmur, a huff, or a grunt of disapproval, each one never failing to draw Kara’s attention away from her own reading. Finishing The Nation, Cat produced her iPad and began to catch up on all the latest gossip and trends, scrolling Facebook, Twitter, and even The Planet’s website. 

Kara reveled in their familiarity. Cat, relaxed, happy, and in her own space, was no less confident than her Ms. Grant persona. Ms. Grant was brilliant, determined. But Cat? Cat had one of the biggest hearts of anyone Kara knew. And despite an air of nonchalance, she cared so much about those she held close. Flipping absently through the magazine, Kara realized she would spend her whole life getting to know the woman in front of her in a heartbeat. But while the thought of ruining their comfortable rapport caused Kara’s stomach to clench, it was time to talk. Taking a deep breath, Kara picked her head up and mustered her most confident face. 

“Ms. Grant…” Kara began, laying down the magazine and settling her hands on the table. Cat quirked an eyebrow but kept reading silently. _Way to be a team player_ , Kara thought dolefully.

“We need to -” Cat’s eyebrow arched even higher and she gave Kara a look. The other woman’s body had stiffened as she sensed where the conversation was going. Enough silliness. Time to get down to business. 

“I mean,” She paused. “We should probably talk about what happened, you know, on the balcony?” Silence stretched between them as Cat chewed and swallowed, and took a slow sip of water. 

“I cannot begin to express my gratitude at how kind and supportive and, and understanding you were that day. It meant the world to me. But it seemed like. It seemed like maybe, at the end, um… If James hadn’t interrupted…” At a loss for words, Kara trailed off.Suddenly, everything she’d rehearsed at home wasn’t enough. How could she say that she was in love with her? That she admired her as a business woman, but she also wanted for all her future Saturdays to be filled with delicious lunches, catching up on the news, and Cat’s good company? 

Cat finally broke the silence, her voice soft but resolute. 

“I want to apologize, Kara. It was wholly unprofessional of me. I shouldn’t have let our interaction become so… personal. It was a breach on my part and —”

“But was it real? If James hadn’t come, would you have — would we have kissed?” Despite doing her damnedest to keep it from shaking, her voice still wavered. She fiddled with her fork and tried desperately to stare anywhere but at Cat’s face. 

“Yes.” Cat’s voice came out in a quiet whoosh of breath. 

Kara lifted her head, meeting Cat’s eyes. 

“Yes?” 

“Yes.” 

“Oh —” 

“Eloquent as always,” Cat quipped. But there was no bite in her remark. “Yes, Kara, I wanted to.” Her words hung in the air. 

“Did you, Kara?” Cat prompted. The woman sat, curled over the table hugging herself. It was the most vulnerable Kara had ever seen her. Despite this, she still held her back straight and looked Kara dead in the eye, her years as a businesswoman overriding her desire to pull out of the conversation. 

Kara nodded, wetting her lips. “Yes. Yes, I wanted to kiss you.” Stuttering over the last word, she could feel a blush crawling up her neck and seeping into her cheeks. 

“Well.”

“Where does that leave us, Ms. Grant?”

“Cat, Kara, my name is Cat,” she corrected gently. “Ms. Grant seems silly, considering what we’re talking about.” 

“Cat.” She couldn’t help the beam that spread across her face at saying the other woman’s name allowed. “Cat.” Kara met the smiling eyes across from her and without thinking reached her hand across the table top, resting it halfway between them, palm to the sky. Cat hesitantly slid her hand towards Kara’s. As their fingers brushed, Kara’s breath hitched. Cat froze, brow furrowed, eyes searching Kara’s for some sign of what she should do. Kara could hear Cat’s heart thundering in her chest as the woman drew short, anxious breaths. Kara slowly twined their fingers together.

“Is this okay?”

“Yes.” 

They sat like that, hand in hand, for a long time, breaking apart only when Cat’s phone buzzed with a message from Carter. 

“He’s heading home,” Cat mumbles. “Here, pass me those.” 

Gathering up their dishes Cat moves around the kitchen rinsing the dishes and loading up their dishwasher. Kara gathers up their napkins, and carries them over to the counter. She leans there, watching Cat as she goes through the motions of tidying up. 

“Are you okay?” The question’s out of Kara’s mouth before she can stop it. Cat finishes loading the dishwasher and flips it shut. 

“Cat?” 

The woman turns. 

“Yes, Kara?” 

“You okay?” 

“Yes, thank you. You’re welcome to stay, if you want. Carter will probably start his homework when he gets back. I could make coffee?” 

Kara grins. “That sounds lovely, Cat.” 

As Cat sets about brewing their coffee, Kara grabs two mugs. She hovers for a second, watching Cat as the woman pours out the old coffee grounds. 

“Kara?” 

“Yeah? Ms. Grant? Um, I mean, Cat?” 

Cat chuckled. “Why don’t you bring the mugs over here? We can move out onto the patio. I’ve got extra sweaters in the front closet if you want one.” 

“Oh, I’ll be okay.” She slid the mugs over to Cat and headed outside.

Cat followed ten minutes later, wrapped in a cozy looking wool shawl, two steaming mugs in hand. Kara was perched on the edge of a lounge chair, trying very hard to not look _too_ anxious. She’s worrying her hands and staring out across the city. Although it was no equal to Catco’s balcony, there was still an incredible view over the brownstones of Cat’s neighborhood. Below them they could hear young kids chasing each other down the street and a parent chasing after them, pleading with them to walk the last three blocks home. Cat let out a full bodied laugh as the children’s peals of laughter, and the harried parent’s warnings faded into the distance.She passed a mug over to Kara, and sank onto the chair next to her. 

“So, where does this leave us, Kara?” Cat glanced at the younger woman, taking a slow sip of her coffee. 

“Well,” Kara took a breath, letting the mug settle in her lap. “I was thinking, if you really do want to try this - us, I would quit work at Catco.” She glanced at Cat, whose face had taken on a thoughtful mask. 

“That would solve any complications with the board, I suppose,” she reasoned. “You’d need to find me a new assistant, though.” 

“Of course, Ms. Grant,” Kara quipped, using her best helpful assistant voice. She couldn’t help breaking down in giggles at the deadpan look on Cat’s face. She calmed down almost instantly when she felt Cat’s hand cup her cheek, turning her face gently towards the other woman’s. 

“Cat?” Kara whispered. 

A look of uncertainty crossed Cat’s face as she stared at Kara, eyes scanning her face - for what, Kara couldn’t tell. 

“May I…” The woman’s voice trailed off, soft and gentle. So unlike the steely persona of Ms. Grant, Queen of the Media. Kara nodded. Cat, careful not to spill her coffee, leaned in towards Kara. Kara’s mind managed a small h _oly crap_ before it forgot everything but the woman kissing her _._ The women leaned into each other, slowly, carefully deepening their kiss. They kissed, and kissed, and kissed. Tentative and warm, they fell into each other’s arms. 

But neither wanted to push the other too far _._ An unspoken fear hung in the air between them, that too much too soon could send their precarious relationship tumbling to the ground. So instead of pushing, they sat there on that lounge chair, holding each other, letting themselves find some peace in each other’s embrace. 

They broke apart when the door to the apartment slammed shut, and Carter tromped into the living room. Cat’s head whipped back, only to see him thoroughly engrossed in his phone - Pokemon Go! no doubt. Without looking up, he dragged his backpack into his bedroom, leaving the two women alone again.They fell into a fit of laughter, letting their relief bubble over. Kara’s hand cradled Cat’s neck, while Cat’s rested on Kara’s knees. They held each other, resting their foreheads together, holding each other close, until their hysteria waned. 

Kara couldn’t help but grinning the whole way home. She left an hour after Carter had gotten back, staying a little longer than intended to play a round of Mario Kart with him while Cat sat across from them skimming through Facebook and laughing at their antics. They’d agreed that Kara wouldn’t quit Catco just yet. She’d stay on for another month, but with the knowledge that most of what she’d be doing is preparing for an eventual break with the company. In the meantime, they would be casually involved. Maybe a date here or there, or a movie at Cat’s. Nothing serious yet. They both agreed that no good would come of rushing this - not with so many odds stacked against them. But there was time to worry about that later. _For now_ , Kara decided, _it’s good. And I’m gonna make the most of it!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry for the weeklong delay, guys. School is hard. Anyway, please let me know what you thought! I had a surprisingly hard time with this chapter, and it's not 100% yet. No beta on this one, so all mistakes are mine. 
> 
> Title from "Fools," by Lauren Aquilina


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